Sports Craft: Football Pillow

a great decoration for your Superbowl party, man cave, or boy's bedroom. This Football shaped pillow is a nice easy project to do with  your sports and craft loving kids alike.

materials:

2 pieces brown felt

1 piece white felt

fiber fill

scissors

glue

sharpie

instructions:

1. draw a football shape on the brown felt, using as much of the surface as possible
2. cut out the shape on both pieces
3. cut out white strips; 4 long ones, 1 medium, and 4 short ones.
4. glue strips on the two sides 
5. let glue set
6. place glue along edge of one side and stick insides together leaving a nice size hole for stuffing
7. let glue dry
8. carefully fill with stuffing
9. place glue on edge of one side of hole and press closed. you may need something to weight it down, I used a plate
10. let it dry, you can always clean up the edges at the end so don't worry

As an adult alternative, you can use a hot glue gun, fabric glue or pin the pieces on and sew.

Big thanks to my daughter for all her help in this project :)

Afghan shown: knit remnant blanket by Tracey Knits. You can find the pattern for free here.

Top Shop: Inventory at work

Now that I have a list of items that I make over and over on a fairly regular basis, i can start preparing in advance. So i sat down with my list of sales from the past year (check out stats analysis on how to do that) and made a list of all the colors of yarn I used for each one. Some used less, some more, but most had an overlap of one color or another. On the left you will find the names of many of the covers I knit. On the top, a list of the colors of yarns used in all the projects listed. i filled that chart with little checks.

What did I learn? Well I learned that I better stock up on tan because it is the number one color of choice. After that, the primaries and black and white. Now i know when yarn goes on sale, those are the colors I should definitely grab.

Top Shop: stats analysis

My shop is a total mess. Why you may ask? because I was ill prepared for the rush of the holiday season. I could easily have looked at the sales trends leading up to thanksgiving and at the very least made a few extra of my biggest selling items. To prevent that tragedy again, I am checking out all my stats for the last year and taking advantage of the downtime.

I started at Etsy. Etsy provides all the stats you need to know what you have been selling. Go to your sold orders page and scroll all the way down to the bottom. click on the link to download the CSV. This will create a Excel chart with all the data etsy has collected on your sales. Sadly, you must do that for each page, but it is nice that the info is so readily available. I am on Mac so mine opens in a program called Numbers, very similar to Excel.

Once you have collected all the information, you can organize it based on a number of criteria. I started with sorting my sales by date, then by title (to view how many of the same item i sold), and lastly by price. You can print out these chats if you wish or just look them over on your computer. 

As you can see, I had quite a busy December, but it is hard to see what sold most over the course of the year from this chart. When i sort by title (column B) I could see that I sold more Yoda golf club covers then any other item. It would have been smart for me to make a few in advance during the quiet months. When I sorted it by price, i was quite pleased to see that my golf club covers at $27 sold more then many of my lower priced items, and that the price increase did not effect my sales.

The next stop for me was Paypal. I do all of my transactions through paypal. It protects my shop and my customers from fraud, plus i can print shipping labels with postage calculated right there.  To download your chart from paypal, go to your account overview and click on view all transactions. On that screen, you can select the dates you wish to see, say Jan 1, 2010 to Dec 31, 2010. When the chart is complete, click on Download CSV on the upper right side of the chart. Again, you can open this in Excel or Numbers and sort in a bunch of ways.

The Paypal chart i sorted differently then the Etsy chart. This time I sorted only by Type, to seperate incoming and outgoing transactions. This chart made it easy to see how much i spend on postage and fees, and how much I am actually bringing in at the end of the day.

What did I learn from all this? Well, first i learned that numbers are not so scary, the computer did all the work for me. i also learned that this is a VERY important thing to do more then once a year. Had i done this in September, i would not have been so ill prepared for the holiday rush. 

I Love This: Charming

Hand Stamped Two Charm Necklace in Sterling Silver with 2 Swarovski Crystals by StinkerandSpike

Handspun Fun: a storm's coming

Typhoon Superwash Fingering Sock Yarn by Creativedeva

Handspun Fun

Autumn Leaves Merino Bamboo Handpainted Yarn 620 yards by TerrificCreations

Handspun Fun

Handpainted sportweight wool sock yarn by Lambsears

I Love This

You Da Bomb greeting card by AJKArtistry

Sell Your Soul

lessons from my first year in the handmade community

Today is the first anniversary of my Etsy shop, http://traceyknits.etsy.com. As with any business, it has been a mountain of lessons learned and lots of hard work. I thought today i would share some of the information I have gathered over the last 365 days. Some you may have heard a million times before, others may be new to you, and bits may not apply to you at all. Whatever your experience level, i hope you get a little something out of it.

1. Get started! You may be thinking, that is not really a lesson, but it really is. If you don’t just jump in you will never know if you can make it. I have had many surprising successes and failures but I would have never known if I didn’t try. 
2. Research! My goodness, did I read everything. Etsy provides ALOT of very helpful information for its sellers and you should take the time to read it all. After you have finished that, do a google search and read anything you find there. Be sure to look up sellers who make similar items to yours, if they exist, and see if they share any advice.
3. Create Handmade! It is easy enough if you like what you are doing to do it every day, so do it. 
4. Share! I cannot extol the virtues of sharing your work enough. Just listing things on Etsy is not enough. You must have a twitter account, facebook account, and flickr account. You must list your name on twibs.com (twitter business directory), wefollow.com (get followers), twellow.com (twitter yellow pages). Facebook offers an app where you can connect your etsy shop to your facebook profile, do it! PS: you never know what a google search will pick up on, so the more places you talk about yourself, the more likely someone will find you.
5. Make friends! It is just a nice way of saying “networking”. If you talk about their amazing work to your friends and family, they are sure to do the same. I can’t tell you how many times I have been talking at a craft fair and suggested another etsian who would be a perfect choice for them.
6. Photos make or break it! Take the time to take great photographs and choose the best SQUARE image as your featured picture. I cant tell you the jump in sales I had when i retook the vast majority of my golf club covers. PS: not everyone will buy pre-worn hats or clothing, so make sure to put in the listing if this is the item they will receive or if you can make a new one for them.
7. Tag, your it! Google searches find your items based on the tags you choose. If you have researched the competition, you know how the best sellers label their items. My Yoda golf club cover is knit, used for sports, and is loved by geeks. How would I tag it? EVERYTHING! Plus I make sure to include things like Star Wars, Jedi, driver, and green. You never know what will be that thing that will connect you with that customer.
8. Work every day! Yes, no vacations. Even when i wasn’t knitting or designing a new pattern, I was tweeting, I was writing on my blog, I was listing and relisting items. I have a web enabled phone so i can check for sales or respond to inquiries no matter  where I am. I have NEVER put my shop in vacation mode, even when on vacation.
9. Take advantage of free opportunities! OMG, they are everywhere. I do an article every Monday about another etsy shop and share it with my followers, and I am not the only one! I have had my shop talked about on blogs just by responding to people who want to talk about handmade items. Again, the more you are talked about, the higher you come up on google searches. I have made the mistake of paying to be featured, a mistake I will not make again. 
10. That costs what? Pay yourself fairly! I cannot charge what I deserve for my hand knit items. It is an unfortunate problem for knitters everywhere. SO I started selling the patterns! Now knitters can share the fun experience of creating my golf club covers and hats and non-knitters can buy one already made. It has reduced my shipping costs and increased my sales. I still get to do what I love, but I get paid more of what I deserve.

have a great piece of advice you would like to share? i would love to hear your comments!

Handmade Shop of the Week: Puzzled1

Jeannette Aragon, of Puzzled, loves wooden toys. Her shop has been overflowing with them since August 2006. All of her award winning pieces are handcrafted, using non-toxic, water based paints so they are safe for your little one and will last for years.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop? 
I had made so many puzzles I thought to myself "Hey I can sell these!"


Has your inventory changed much since you first opened?   
I am a self taught puzzle maker so as I am inspired my puzzles are born.  I started with just "Paint a puzzle kits" but all I heard was "You don't want that baby puzzle" so then I came up with my wood burned Jigsaw Puzzles and from there the inspiration just keptr coming.  I added my 3D puzzles and then my children's 3D puzzles.  I added my puzzle play sets , photo puzzles, and name puzzles. Finally I added my tray puzzles.  Even my tray puzzles have changed dramatically since I first started making them.  All the while I challenged myself with each new custom puzzle.  




Who are the majority of your customers? How did they find you?

 
According to Facebook the majority of my customers are women aged 25-45.  I have severalmarketing strategies so my customers come from many different venues.  Search engines, Link Partners, Etsy, EBay, Giveaways, Facebook, Twitter, The magic Onion .blogspot.com where I have an advertisement, Squidoo, and thats just to name a few.

What inspires you to create?

  
Everything! Nature, My keyword statistics, the internet, custom orders, But a lot of ideas come from Free coloring book pages that I adapt and turn into a puzzle.


What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item? 
I think my favorite item has to be my 3D Ladybug puzzle.  I sat and mulled over how I could make one that had moving wings and yet was a puzzle.  Finally it came to me one day.  It was just suddenly clear.  Turn the wings into tray puzzles that sits on a solid body.  The wings pivot on wooden pegs and then the whole thing sits on wooden peg legs.  Finally I changed it into a counting puzzle by adding numbers to the spots on the ladybugs wings.  I think it turned out great just like I pictured in my head. It's so unusual.  There is nothing like it out there that I could find. In fact I liked it so much that I have decided to make a green bug just like it.  You know like the bugs that look like leaf bugs.

I think my most poplular items are a tie between my Butterfly 3D Puzzle, my Alphabet Apple 3D Puzzle and my Alphabet Tree 3D Puzzle

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful?

 
I have to say that my greatest resource is The Google Gods for they have given me very favorable rankings through a ton of hard work on my part.  But I have to say that 60% of my business has come through Google.


Any changes coming to your shop in the future?

 
Oh Im posative there will be.  Like I said as I grow as a puzzle maker so do the puzzles that I make.  Lately I have been making about a new puzzle every week or two.


How else can we find you online? Any team affiliations? 
You can find me on Etsy or Etsy Kids as Puzzledone, Bonanzle as puzzled1, Ebay as sweeetjenn71, Squidoo I have three lenses, The Magic Onion, twitter as puzzledone, Flicker as puzzled1.com, Linkedin as Jeannette Aragon, and so much more

Interested in being featured on my blog? Email me for more information.

Handmade Shop of the Week: OneTrueTree

Abbey Taylor of OneTrueTree Creations makes handmade toys and accessories. She has been offering her work online since August 2008 with adorable plush animals and dolls.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop?
I had been considering it off and on for several months, but I didn't go through with it until one of my friends requested a custom owl plushie, after which I was encouraged by her and others to try Etsy. The owl I made for my friend was made for free, but soon after I received a second request for a custom owl from a girl who'd seen photos of the one I made for my friend. Unfortunately, that order fell through, but I made my first sale the next month (a lion plushie!), and the rest is history!

Has your inventory changed much since you first opened?
Yes and no. I'm still making the original patterns from when I opened my shop, but much less frequently. Recently I've been making a lot of "hugglemonsters," which is one of the first patterns I came up with, but never made very often until the past few months. I've also become fascinated with posable art-toys, like my chameleons and monkeys. I'm actually currently working on another posable art-toy project - a pair of cadejo(s?), which are mythical dogs in Central and South American folklore.

Who are the majority of your customers? How did they find you?
I've had a couple friends order custom pieces from me, but the majority of my customers so far (that I can tell), have come to my shop through Livejournal, which I'm no longer actively using as a marketing tool (having switched over to blogspot and twitter), and a few through Deviantart. 

What inspires you to create?
Oh, man. I think I get a lot of my inspiration from fairy tales and stories like that, legends/legendary creatures, or themes like seasons or ecosystems (jungle, savannah, etc)... I have a pretty active imagination, and I've always got new ideas popping into my head; it can actually be a detriment to my productivity level because I'm always trying new patterns instead of staying focused! Occasionally my boyfriend will chime in with a great idea or modification of my ideas. =)

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item?
I think my most popular item would hands-down be my "hugglemonsters," and my personal favorites are my posable chameleons. =)

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful?
I think it would have to be Livejournal, thus far! I've always spent a lot of time posting photos of my latest creations on various craft, plushie, and sewing-themed LJ communities. Deviantart has also been helpful in building a "fanbase," and it's also good for keeping a complete gallery of all the things I've created. I recently joined Twitter (@onetruetree), which has been quite fun, but I'm not sure how it has or will impact my shop yet. 

I think more than any particular site, just keeping active, interactive, and listing new things is probably the most helpful thing. =)

Any changes coming to your shop in the future?
I'm really trying to stay focused and keep a steady stream of new inventory coming into my shop, so hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be listing new items at least three times a week. Other than that, I'm considering changing my shipping policy to a set couple of days twice a week, but I've yet to figure out which days would be most convenient for me, so that may or may not happen in the next few weeks or months.

How else can we find you online? Any team affiliations?
I'm not affiliated with any teams, so far, but you can find me all over the place:

Blogspot: http://onetruetreecreations.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/onetruetree
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onetruetree/
Deviantart: http://onetruetree.deviantart.com
Formspring: http://formspring.me/OneTrueTree

And of course I can be reached by email at ottcreations@yahoo.com =)


A GREAT DEAL!
go to One True Tree Creations and mention TRACEYKNITS and you will receive Free Shipping!


Interested in being featured? email me for more information

Handmade Shop of the Week: ColourSpun

Dana Biddle, of ColourSpun - Natural Designer Yarn, has only recently opened her online shop filled with yarn, tools, and accessories. She is a South African knitter, whose soon to be published book From Fibre to Fabulous features some of her own handmade yarn creations.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop?
I have been dying my own yarn for a number of years now. I started out very small, dying just what I needed for my own projects. Then friends started requesting hand dyed yarn and I was dying more and more, but still only on a small scale. As I continued, I came into contact with other people who are artisan yarn makers and decided to write a book about them and knitting their yarns. It is due for publication early next year and is titled From Fibre to Fabulous.... a South African Knitting Adventure. Since the book will also include my yarn, I had to make it available to everyone - so ColourSpun came into being.

What items do you plan on filling your shop with?
ColourSpun will be stocked with natural yarns - Brushed Mohair, Merino DK Wool, Merino Hand Spun Wool,100% Cotton and Novelty Hand Spun Art Yarns. All the yarns are grown locally (in South Africa) and coloured with earth friendly dyes that are light and wash fast. Merino roving will also be available and so will the dye powders.

Handmade wooden tools and other accessories will be listed and later on I hope to add a section for finished goods made with fibre. 


The shop is filling up slowly. It's quite a process as I have 2 colour ranges - Rainbow and Earth, each with 15 colours in light, medium and dark. Add to that my Oddballs range which consists of other colours, experimental dyeing etc... and the Unique range of hand painted yarn/roving.

Have you sold your work anywhere before, like craft fairs or consignment?
I have a regular table at a local Quilters Guild meeting (they knit too) which takes place 4 times a year and also at a few annual craft fairs.

What inspires you to create?
I find my inspiration all over the show. I love colour and am drawn to anything colourful be it in nature, in books, on TV .... I am also very fortunate to have a large circle of very creative friends and we inspire each other. The smallest spark of an idea can grow into something meaningful very quickly with so many brains to storm with :)What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item?
My favourite item in my shop at the moment is a Merino roving which I have labelled - "Unique 1" 

The most popular item is the 100% Cotton Yarn in pink shades

How are you promoting your work on and offline?
I have an advert in Stitches n Bears - a South African needle crafts magazine. I talk a lot about my yarn on www.in2crafts.co.za which is a social network for crafters, also in the Ravelry groups I belong to and I have recently started to blog - www.colourspun.blogspot.com  I have joined twitter and aim to join Facebook soon too.

Why should we choose your work? What makes you different?
My yarns are natural and coloured with earth friendly dyes. Only the best quality mohair, merino and cotton is used to ensure that the yarn is always soft and comfortable to wear. All the yarn is sourced locally and I follow fair trade practice. The wood for the tools is also from local, sustainable sources and they are made by my Dad.  I personally dye each skein of yarn using processes that are as "green" as possible - using the sun as much as possible and a dyeing method that uses the minimum of water. Because it is created by hand, each skein of yarn (although it may be similar to others) will have its own unique characteristics. 

How else can we find you online? Any team affiliations?
http://www.colourspun.com
http://colourspun.blogspot.com

LET'S DO A GIVEAWAY!
ColourSpun would love to give you 2 skeins of her fabulous yarn
here's how to enter: 
one entry for each action, giveaway ends May 31st, 2010
1) visit ColourSpun and comment here on your favorite item in her shop
2) follow her on twitter and be sure to tweet about this giveaway
3) follow her blog
4) write a blog article about Colourspun and her giveaway
5) make a purchase in her shop!

AND AS AN EXTRA BONUS:
15% discount on any order if traceyknits.com is mentioned when ordering - valid till the 31st May 2010.


Interested in being featured? Email me for information

Handmade Shop of the Week: The Enchanted Cupboard

Beccijo, of The Enchanted Cupboard, is the creator of wooden toys, dolls, minutures, and wedding cake toppers. She has been filling her shop with these simple pleasures since Oct. 08, 2008. Hard work and great ideas have brought her to the etsy front page as well as nick's parent's choice.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop?
I wanted a creative outlet. Something that belonged to me. A place to share my art of toy making!

Has your inventory changed much since you first opened?
I had a few other items in the begining but the dolls have taken over.

Who are the majority of your customers? How did they find you?
Mom's wanting great toys that are natural. Toys that are good for the imagination and inspire!

What inspires you to create?
My kids and my imagination. Inside I never grew up!

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item?
My Mushroom Stacker is my favorite right now but the fairies are diffrent little girls in my life (some are no longer little but are mommies themselves but to me they will always be my little girls). My big sellers lately have been Fairy Kitchen Set and Fairy Doll Acorn Stacker

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful?
Research and understanding marketing. Seeking help when I needed it. Reinvesting my profits back into my shop for more supplies or advertising.

Any changes coming to your shop in the future?
Always more designs, more playboxes but also some limited addition items. All coming out this Spring, it seems the right time to launch new things.

How else can we find you online? Any team affiliations?
http://www.beccijo.com/
http://www.theenchantedcupboard.etsy.com/
http://www.theenchantedcupboard.1000markets.com/
EtsyNJ Team,
SHEteam,
NaturalKids Team, I am the Team Leader
Child's Play Market (1KM), I am the Market Manager

LETS DO A GIVEAWAY!
Seen on Etsy Front Page
Woodland Fairy Forest Accessory Set
Here in Fairyland the woods are full of Pretty little mushrooms and rich with little trees. The fairies have collected a few just for you. This forest accessory set is a lovely addition to any fairy playset or all on their own. Each set is hand painted. This set is for 3 mushrooms and two pine trees.

Here is how to enter: 1) comment on this article below 2) share this article on facebook/twitter 3) heart her shop and or your favorite item 4) blog about her shop and/or this giveaway

Interested in being Handmade Shop of the Week? Email me for more information.

Handmade Shop of the Week: Designs by Denise

Denise McLachlan, of Designs By Denise, has been making jewelry and accessories for her etsy shop since April of 2008, though she has been crafting much, much longer. You can find her selling her work at craft fairs and very often for a good cause.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop?
I love to make jewelry and started selling it because we had a fundraiser for my nephew. At the fundraiser I had a good feedback from buyers which was encouraging. A few weeks after the fundraiser I was watching Martha Stewart whose guest was an Etsy seller. Right away I went online, checked out Etsy and really liked it, and decided to sell my jewelry on Etsy.

Has your inventory changed much since you first opened?
No, my main items are still the same. I will be adding necklaces to my jewelry line this year.

Who are the majority of your customers? How did they find you?
Most of my customers are women and a few young women. The youngest customer was 7; she insisted that her father buy her a pink bracelet. My customers find me at craft fairs, through word of mouth and online.

What inspires you to create?

I come from a very creative family; we all have crafts that we do like stained glass, paper crafts, painting, guitar making, knitting, crocheting and of course jewelry making.

I’ve been crafting since I was a small child and feel like it’s in my genes. Although my day job pays the bills it has no creativity involved and when I am home I need a creative outlet, so I make jewelry and do other crafts.

The inspiration for my jewelry comes from many different places. If I’m making a piece for a specific person I think about that person and their likes. Sometimes I decide to make a piece of jewelry and I put out the beads and components and they inspire the finished piece. Occasionally I’ll see a piece of jewelry worn by someone or in a magazine and think, “I can make that, only different/better” and use that as the inspiration. There isn’t one place that inspiration comes from.

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item?
My favorite item in my shop is the silver chain maille with clear glass beads. I really enjoy making chain maille, it gets my mind off of everything because it’s such detailed work. The most popular item in my shop is the Delicate Gold Bracelet with green Swarovski crystals. The most popular item at craft shows is the eyeglass/badge holders. I can’t keep them in stock.

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful?
My greatest resources are equally the Etsy NJ Team and Soma Artisan's Guild. There is such a vast amount of knowledge in both groups and I have learned so much from being a part of both.

Any changes coming to your shop in the future?
Yes, I am adding a line of bridal headpieces and accessories. I had a business when I lived in St. Louis where I made custom headpieces and accessories. When I moved to Florida it was not a good market for bridal, since the majority of the population is retirees, so I put that aside for a while. I have decided that now that I’m in a younger market again it would be a good time to go back to making bridal accessories.
As mentioned earlier I will be adding necklaces to my shop too.

How else can we find you online? Any team affiliations?
My website is http://www.jewelrybydm.com/ I am a member of the Etsy NJ Team and Soma Artisan's Guild.

Designs by Denise will be doing a giveaway in April on her blog at http://jewelrybydm.blogspot.com/ in celebration of her birthday. If you fell in love with her jewelry, as I did, be sure to stop by there and enter to win.

Interested in being shop of the week? email me for more information.